Viewers who missed the varied art happenings that took place amid the hubbub of the Democratic National Convention need not despair.

Works by seven of the 10 widely known artists and artistic cooperatives that took part in “Dialog:City,” a nine-day series of site-specific works in conjunction with the convention, are showcased in an exhibition continuing through Sept. 20 at the Robischon Gallery.

These pieces directly or indirectly relate to the artists’ “Dialog:City” creations, and the gallery environment offers the advantage of a more relaxed, contemplative setting and a longer time frame to experience them.

The ambitious show, titled “Dialog:Denver,” is the latest in a recent string of edgy, international-level offerings that have established a new high-water mark for the Robischon Gallery and significantly enhanced its standing locally and in the broader art world.

Ann Hamilton, who represented the United States at the 1999 Venice Biennale, has achieved a compelling marriage of concept and visual impact with “phora — spinning sousaphone,” a hanging kinetic sculpture with an accompanying soundtrack.

This curiously shaped work, which pairs the bells of sousaphones in a kind of fan configuration, gently spins as the scratchy, antiquated sounds of a Victrola recording of Sousa marches emanate from it. These components combine for an oddly engaging sensory experience.

One whole wall in the exhibition is devoted to a gallery-scaled version of R. Luke Dubois’ “Hindsight Is Always 2 0/20,” which was exhibited at Elitch Gardens and the Denver Performing Arts Complex during the DNC.

This inventive piece consists of 12 letterpress text panels, organized in the form of an eye-test chart. Each one employs words taken from the State of the Union addresses of a different president. They are arranged in order of frequency, with the most often repeated words in the biggest type at the top.

If “Hindsight” offers little on an emotional level, it does work graphically and intellectually, presenting an insightful window into the priorities of the different administrations — Lincoln: “Emancipation.” Hoover: “Unemployment.” Truman: “Soviet.” Bush: “Terror.”

Paul Miller, a.k.a. DJ Spooky, presented a 70-minute audiovisual experience Sunday evening at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. A DVD trailer for that work, titled “Terra Nova: The Antarctica Series,” can be seen on a small video monitor.

Of more visual interest is a related work, a group of 12 graphically striking posters in vintage propaganda style, with the words, “Manifesto for a People’s Republic of Antarctica.” It subtly comments on the geopolitical tensions simmering around this environmentally sensitive continent.

A big strike against “Dialog:City,” which was sponsored by the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, is that none of the 10 core components involved local artists. There is no doubt the region has artists who could have conceived works worthy of the project, and at least one should have been included.

To make up for that omission, the Robischon Gallery invited 12 Colorado artists to create sociopolitical works in the form of political yard signs. The resulting images have been reproduced in that format, and they will be shown during the Republican National Convention as part of a joint project with Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis.

The challenge for these artists was to create submissions that were substantial artworks in their own right and also offered immediate graphic impact and strong, easy-to-grasp messages. Most of the works succeeded on some of these levels, but not all.

A notable all-around success is Gary Emrich’s “Shared Sacrifice,” an enlargement of a Visa card with the photo of an American soldier mourning the death of a fallen comrade. This image communicates on multiple levels, questioning the reasons for the war and the losses from it.

Personal expression drives the creation of art, and the artists in “Dialog:Denver” have plenty to say as the nation approaches this fall’s presidential election.

“Dialog: Denver”

Art. Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee St. An exhibition of sociopolitical works by 12 local artists, as well as some of the international artists who took park in “Dialog:City.” Through Sept. 20. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Free. 303-298-7788 or robischongallery.com.

If there’s one superhero character whose rise might be most tied to the events of World War II, it is Captain America, who emerged from the minds of legends Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and sprung forth from an iconic 1941 debut cover on which Cap smacks Hitler right in the kisser.